Chapter 3

~Courtyard, Chicago prison~

Early in the morning at about 6am, before sunrise, inmates formed straight lines of ten rows and seven Columns, as they stretched their bodies in exercise. Policemen who were in charge of morning roadworks, whipped the stubborn inmates that slowed their pace and the sleepy heads.

In the sixth row, Lewis was following exactly their commander’s steps, back in his normal life, morning exercise was his hobby as this one was not hard for him as it was for others.

“Punish anyone who stops for whatever reason, no fucking excuse mates!” the commander screamed from the front.

The policemen showed off their whips as they were thirsty to use it on inmates.

Behind Lewis was one of Chun Li's followers. The commander switched to jump squats and the inmates followed suit. Chun Li who was beside his follower nodded at him, and the follower picked up a piece of broken glass lying on the ground.

The follower placed the sharp glass on Lewis's foot print, their schemes went unnoticed by poor Lewis who appeared to be immersed in the exercise. As he descended to squat, so did his feet and one of them landed on the sharp glass, piercing through his skin.

“Ahh!” Lewis fell to the ground and clutched his wounded foot as blood dripped from it, soaking the ground.

One of the policemen sighted Lewis and walked up to him, seeing that he was sitting on the ground, they assumed he was one of the weaklings that refused to exercise. So he raised his whip and the first lash came down on Lewis's back.

“Follow me!” he yelled.

Poor Lewis was drawing the glass out, it appeared big that almost half of it went inside his leg. As the first lash came, he winced that he almost pushed the other half inside.

“Fool! Get up and follow me now!” The policeman was turning impatient so he raised the whip again and lashed him, this time it was on the neck and it landed with great force.

Leaving a reddening welt on his neck. Lewis had to leave the whole thing and stood up with one leg dangling in the air, and the other supporting him.

“Are you fucking blind to not see that I was injured? My foot got puntured by a fucking glass and I am loosing fucking blood!" He yelled.

The other policemen noticed that the first policeman was struggling with Lewis, so they decided to help.

Now four policemen with cow skin whip cornered Lewis.

Lewis turned hyper aware of everything around him, “Now see, I have got a bleeding leg and a glass stuck to my foot, this is likely to cause lockjaw if I don't get it out soon,” he tried talking common sense into them.

However, they were like animals who heeded their leader's commands only. Each of them started whipping Lewis, until he went into oblivion for the second time.

******

******

~Infirmary, Chicago prison~

“Mr. Lewis, I came running here once I received the news you were taking treatments,” CEO Connor said as he entered the infirmary, his shoes clicking on the marble floor.

Lewis who was getting treated by a nurse only had to glare at the CEO, already seeing behind his mask, Lewis knew he enjoyed seeing him in pain.

“I must say I am quite surprised by how easily you get into trouble, it's only been twenty four hours and your card has been entered two times,” he said, checking the card in his hand again.

“And what does the card read? I'm sure it was misentered to make me the bad guy,” Lewis placed his injured foot atop the other lap, and the nurse dabbed the wound with cotton soaked in methylated spirit.

He winced at the painful and cooling sensation.

CEO Connor retreated and planted his butt down on the window stool.

“Unrecognisable, transmogrified, mashed and beaten to a pulp, isn't that the dream of every soul you goddamn vagabonds has fractured?” He pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket as he looked at Lewis's disfigured form.

He obtained swollen lips, swollen eyes and darkening bruises that were yet to heal.

“Bloody Mary, when I received that call I hoped for ‘Lewis Baker is dead’ you know? The thrill is an addiction,” he exhaled a line of smoke as he took time, relishing the sight before him.

Lewis sighed, “If you have nothing important to say, can I speak to my brother?”

“Yes, you can make use of the phone booth outside the front arena,” he pointed at Lewis, “You know I can't wait for y'all cursed Bakers to implicate each other and fall in the arms of the constabulary.”

“Seems that's the game y'all play.”

CEO Connor glanced at the nurse who was binding the foot, seeing that she was done he said, “Nurse Sookie, can you leave us please?”

The nurse stood and bowed, “Yes, Sir,” and the door closed behind her.

Lewis arranged his pants and heaved a sigh of tiredness, “What do you want?”

“There's a man, he wants to help you out of this place but he wants something in return.”

“And does this man have a name?”

“Yes, he does,” CEO Connor stood up and opened a picture in his phone before handing it to Lewis.

Lewis stared at the picture of a man in trench coat with black hat, what was outstanding was the hairy white beard that made him look rich and

“He goes by the name Duke.” CEO Connor said.

He added, “Now, Duke wants to make things easy for you, only if you partake in this deal.”

Lewis gave back the phone, “What deal, sergeant major?”

“Find out who Taylor works with, how he runs his business and the list of his merchants.”

Lewis scoffed, “You are the Chief executive officer, and you have men who do this job like camels, well, send them out, whatever you wish for will be on your table in an hour, isn't that it?”

“Your brother runs the biggest establishment in Chicago and about three hundred warehouses are under his name. He has an inn where travelers, men of Italian and Irish lodge.”

“They drink and smoke. However, the constabulary has been prohibited to scour his business, Taylor works with the magistrate so he gets the upper hand.”

Lewis narrowed his brow, “and what are you telling me to do?”

CEO Connor pursed his lip, “Get the list of his merchants,” he requested.

Lewis smiled and nodded, “And will I be freed after that?”

“Duke is a man of his word,” CEO Connor replied.

“Like I thought my uncle was. You see, there's this story I know as a kid. It's about the cunning tortoise, he beguiles other animals for his gain, and men, I have learned that men are tortoises.”

“Men in business and suits like you, Mr. Sergeant major.” Lewis's eyes carried a hint of glare.

CEO Connor remained undaunted, he was here to strike a deal, soon, the Bakers will be dancing to his tone.

“This deal comes once in a blue moon, Mr. Lewis. I see you want your peaceful life back, your café and the conventional clothes and lifestyle,” he disposed of the cigarette in a waste bin, “And I swear, you alone can unlock that closed door.”

CEO Connor patted his shoulder and whispered, “Things are going on in this city where we live, and we know no half.”

Then he started to leave but Lewis's voice rang out to conclude, “The Italian and Irish men drink and smoke, that is your answer.”

Lewis left before him, and as soon as he came out to the long corridor. He collided with a female police officer, spilling the coffee she carried on her inner vest.

“The hell, my espresso!” she looked at her spilled coffee and her stained vest.

As she was putting on a white vest inside her blue duty shirt, the top buttons were left open so the coffee got into the vest instead.

“Sorry for my negligence, may I help you with cleaning the coffee?” Lewis apologized.

“No, forget about that,” as the officer raised her head, she locked eyes with the man she treated the other day.

“You!” Lewis said in shock.

Wasn't she the arrogant nurse from yesterday? How come she was putting on the police uniform today?

Before they could understand what was happening, the door opened and CEO Connor walked out.

“Oh Mister Vincent, have you met our lead correctional officer, Miss Viviette.”

He looked between both of them as he introduced in a casual manner.

“Miss Viviette, this is King Lewis, our newest inmate.”

However, both were in a staring competition. While the other was amazed that she could spiral from nurse to an officer, Viviette wondered if this was the face that would cause her misfortune, as their first encounter didn't go well and so was the second.

“I have seen him before,” she bathed her eyelashes and scowled before a beautiful welcoming smile settled on her face.

“I see. King Lewis here was accused of stealing his uncle's gemstone pendant, he will be here for a while,” CEO Connor further added.

Lewis sent him a sharp glare.

Viviette simply nodded, “That is…awful,” while considering how much this necklace would have been worth.

“Officer Vi, show Mister Lewis the phone booth area,” CEO Connor demanded.

Viviette turned to Lewis, “King Lewis, would you be kind enough to wash this off me?” she jutted a finger towards her stained vest.

Lewis furrowed his eyebrows, “You said you will do it yourself.”

“I have changed my mind,” she gave him a pretty casual smile.

“This way leads to the phone booth,” Viviette said before leading to the outside, while Lewis heaved a sigh and followed her closely.

CEO Connor was left speechless, wondering how close those two had gotten in just a span of two days, he should pass a warning to officer Vi later.

********

~Phone booth, Chicago prison~

Outdoor, where the phone booth was located, a wall fountain with roses and climbers of all kinds running on the wall as Viviette stood there at the corner, washing her vest. She used her handkerchief to soak up water and dabbed the stain on her vest while stealing glances at the man their boss had allowed to make use of the phone booth.

“You know, every phone call that goes in and out of that phone booth is recorded, just a peaceful warning.”

Lewis spared her a glance, he gulped before inserting the digits on the phone. The first call went out but wasn't answered, and the second try, no answer.

After four tries, Lewis was getting exhausted and worried. Taylor always picks his call in just a matter of seconds, he wondered if his brother was in town at all.

“Give up already, they won't pick. That's what happens when you are in prison, everyone thinks of you as an outcast that should be abandoned,” Viviette interjected.

Lewis angrily slammed the phone back to its port before turning to the prickling woman.

“As a woman you talk more than necessary!” he yelled.

“Really? I never pegged you as someone who limits women, wow!”

Lewis exhaled, furious that his brother was ignoring his calls and this woman was only pushing him to the edge.

She switched to weaving through her hair with wet hands, tilting her neck to the side to watch Lewis.

“Tsk! Tsk, didn't you have enough to eat that you had to steal your Uncle's pendant? Poor man,” Viviette hmphed, trying to get under his skin.

Lewis's eyebrow twitched, as he fumed in anger.

“What would your brother say to people? ‘he never stole anything, and we didn't know he was going through a lot, had he sent a message to us, our family's name won't be in ruins’ right?” Viviette mimicked what might be happening outside.

Lewis inhaled and exhaled faster, as this woman was getting to him. Thinking about it now, people do not know that he was innocent, they would now say he committed the crime, and since he never got to testify at the law, undoubtedly, the accusation looked believable.

And perhaps that is why Taylor won't pick the calls, he is an outcast, a traitor, he has tarnished his family's name.

So, Taylor has abandoned him.

Before he knew it, he rushed forward and enclasped Viviette's neck, slamming her on the wall with sturdy flowers.

“Wha-what are you doing?” Viviette choked fighting for air as her flow was cut off.

“You whore! Piece of shit, are you one of those ladies that have fetish for prisoners, huh?” Lewis shook her.

That statement got to Viviette real bad, she frowned her face and pursed her lips before raising a hand, she slapped Lewis hard on the cheek. The gravity of the slap came so fast that Lewis lost his hold on her, staggering backwards.

‘Grim! Grim! Grim! Grim’ the phone booth rang.